Cellular communication networks may have a number of base transceiver stations (BTSs) to provide coverage over generally broad geographical areas. Each of these base transceiver stations may be coupled to a radio network controller (RNC) that manages various aspects of cellular communication network. One particular aspect of the cellular communication network that may be managed by the RNC is a process commonly referred to as handover. The process of handover generally refers to actions taken by radio network controller in order to switch an access terminal's point-of-attachment from one BTS to another as the access terminal moves from one location to another.
In practice, a number of cellular communication networks may function together in order to provide a cellular communication environment. Handover between adjacent cellular communication networks providing data communication services is typically provided by a mobile IP protocol. The mobile IP protocol enables access terminals to roam from the home network while maintaining a relatively permanent IP address.